Camera Recommendations?
 

Alright, with christmas coming up, I am either getting a digital camera as a gift, or I am just going to break down and buy one for myself. Regardless, I have looked at many camera reviews and tried to figure out what might be best for me, but I do not know very much about photography at all and really do not have much interest in learning about it. All I want is a camera that I can point and shoot and give me fairly decent quality pictures.

Its the type of camera that is going to be used at a concert or a night out at the bar, along with any trips or memorable events. Basically, I need a jack of all trades. The two features I know that would be good for me would be that it takes good low-light pictures and that it has a quick recycle time so that I can take multiple pictures quickly. Does anybody have any recommendations on what might be a good camera for me?

The only other real criteria is that it be as small as possible so that it fits easily in my pocket. I would like to spend under $250 and ideally, probably under $200. Like I said before, I am not looking for professional photos, just something that will take decent pics. Thanks for the help

Canon SD1100IS.

On sale for $199.00.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8739948&type=product&id=12024298 47720

Its a great little camera that I find myself using far more often than my SLR.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1226417848.jpg






Tim

I would avoid the "smallest" criteria.

You should go to Best Buy or other bigbox and take them for test drive.

I have large hands which makes the "smallest" ones unusable for me.

If it's not comfortable you are less likely to use it often.

You want to make sure you can operate it easily.

Also look at things like battery doors, some are in stupid spots. Memory card access, some stick them under the battery door, stupid spot. Run through the menus, they should be intuitive and easy to navigate especially if you want to shoot shows and such.

Check the zoom, some are too slow, some are too fast or "twitchy".

Battery type, I prefer cameras that use standard AA's vs a proprietary battery pack. You can get AA"s anywhere, no need for expensive backup batteries or taking a recharger along on vaca.

Rechargeable AA's are a good investment. Some cameras will eat batteries like crazy, my daughters will go through a fresh set of standard AA in one day. Rechargeable's in the same camera last 6-7 x's longer.

Stomach, those are all great suggestions and I plan on doing some hands on research soon.

Tim, from the reviews I read on that camera, it sounds like it would likely work very well for me.

Maybe find a used Fuji FinePix F30 or F31fd. They were the low-light champs by a mile. I've heard the F40fd is almost as good, and is still available new for $150. I think I'd recommend that.
http://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-Finepix-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B000MCZFQ0/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=12264438 32&sr=8-1